Are you sick of asking “pm for price” time and time again? You can take comfort in this piece of latest news.
As per New Straits Times, enforcers from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism will be taking action against online sellers who fail to provide necessary information when selling services or products.
The ministry’s enforcement director Datuk Mohd Roslan Mahayudin stated that a new rule will be imposed where sellers carrying out business on popular social network sites such as Facebook and Instagram will be required include price products and their contact information. This will help ensure that the buyer’s rights are better safeguard.
“We are fully enforcing this law after having relaxed on this to allow traders to adjust accordingly. We want consumers to be better covered. Their rights must be protected, and they must be able to make informed purchasing decision with details on prices, the products and services, who they are dealing with and hidden charges at their fingertips,” Roslan was quoted as saying.
Roslan added that the authorities will be targeting online sellers that only post messages like “pm for price” or “pm if interested”. “We don’t have issues with sellers who use online marketplaces such as Zalora and Lazada as most of them comply with our law. Our problem is with those using social media to ply their trade. If a person is selling a cat, for example, he must display the price he wants for it. He cannot simply say ‘PM if interested’. Not any more,” he clarified.
Under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 law, retailers must now display the following information:
1. The full prices of the goods or services, including the taxes and transportation or other costs
2. Name of the person operating the business or the company and business name
3. Business or company registration number
4. Contact details of the person running the business i.e. e-mail address, telephone number, or address
5. Description of the main characteristics of the product or service
6. Method of accepted payment
7. Estimated delivery time
8. Other terms and conditions
Those who are caught not abiding by the 8 aforementioned requirements could be slapped with a fine up to RM50,000 or a jail term of not more than 3 years, or both. The public are also encouraged to report these sites to the ministry’s enforcement division at 1800-886-800.
Source: NST.
